Yesterday's training session was supposed to be a 45 mile ride, and I had planned to ride the IMAZ route again. Unfortunately I was unable to talk myself into getting up at the crack of dawn...or another couple hours after that. It is easier to procrastinate a workout when the hourly weather forecast tells me it will not even reach 100 degrees until noon! Basically my goal with summer training is to be done with long runs before it reaches 100, and be done with long rides by 105. But the real key with workouts in the heat is how it feels when I start. You're gonna get hot during a workout even on a nice day, so as long as I don't walk outside and begin the workout in a blast furnace, I can handle the slow creeping up of degrees.
The problem with my late start yesterday was that I had a 1 pm dentist appointment. By the time I got myself together the IMAZ route was out, since it is across the valley in the opposite direction of the dentist. There was no time for that. So I got out my
METROPOLITAN
PHOENIX AREA
BIKE MAP
and tried to build a route near the dentist office. That was actually easy since one of my favorite canal rides is right near there. So then I checked locations for LA Fitness, my gym, and found one just a few miles from the dentist. So I would do my ride then shower at the gym. By the time I parked and got my bike and myself together I only had 3 hours to ride. That means 3 hours total; including water refill stops, traffic, and...
Flat tires! Yep, I got a flat around mile 20. If there is one bike skill I am actually confident about it is changing a tire. If I focus I can have the whole thing done in a few minutes. Today took a little longer because I tried to get away with just filling it first and hoping it would seal. But then I changed it, and proceeded on. Right away I noticed this really loud sound, like a rubbing sound, and the faster I went the louder it got. I could not tell where it was coming from, so finally I got off my bike and started turning and spinning all the parts that turn and spin, and eventually I figured out the rear tore was rubbing against the frame. So I fixed that and carried on, but then had to stop twice more because the rear brake was rubbing on the rim, which results in less speed for more effort. Then I stopped to buy some cold water. When all was said and done I only got in 27 miles. But they were a great 27 miles! I am a whole different rider than I was a few months ago! This was, after all, the very same canal path that I abandoned in frustration after only 8 miles a mere few months ago! My comfort level on the bike has increased 10 fold.
After my dentist appointment, on the drive home, I got another flat tire. This one on my car. I have never changed a flat by myself before, so I got out the jack and the owner's manual and went about figuring it out. I had the car jacked up and was struggling to get the hubcap off when a nice little older guy named Leon pulled up and said, "What happened here?" He then proceeded to jump in and help me. We got it changed very quickly, at which point we realized the spare was flat too! Luckily I managed to get to a gas station less than a half mile away where I could pump up the spare. Which I proceeded to do...but it wouldn't take air. Argh! Foiled again! Long story short, between the suggestions of yet another helpful gentleman and Karin, I decided to jack the car up next to the air pump and then put air in while it had no pressure on it. It worked! And I was on my way again!
Later that night I hopped on the trainer to ride another hour to reach my goal distance for the day.
Surprisingly, it was a fantastic day!
The problem with my late start yesterday was that I had a 1 pm dentist appointment. By the time I got myself together the IMAZ route was out, since it is across the valley in the opposite direction of the dentist. There was no time for that. So I got out myMETROPOLITAN
PHOENIX AREA
BIKE MAP
and tried to build a route near the dentist office. That was actually easy since one of my favorite canal rides is right near there. So then I checked locations for LA Fitness, my gym, and found one just a few miles from the dentist. So I would do my ride then shower at the gym. By the time I parked and got my bike and myself together I only had 3 hours to ride. That means 3 hours total; including water refill stops, traffic, and...
Flat tires! Yep, I got a flat around mile 20. If there is one bike skill I am actually confident about it is changing a tire. If I focus I can have the whole thing done in a few minutes. Today took a little longer because I tried to get away with just filling it first and hoping it would seal. But then I changed it, and proceeded on. Right away I noticed this really loud sound, like a rubbing sound, and the faster I went the louder it got. I could not tell where it was coming from, so finally I got off my bike and started turning and spinning all the parts that turn and spin, and eventually I figured out the rear tore was rubbing against the frame. So I fixed that and carried on, but then had to stop twice more because the rear brake was rubbing on the rim, which results in less speed for more effort. Then I stopped to buy some cold water. When all was said and done I only got in 27 miles. But they were a great 27 miles! I am a whole different rider than I was a few months ago! This was, after all, the very same canal path that I abandoned in frustration after only 8 miles a mere few months ago! My comfort level on the bike has increased 10 fold.
After my dentist appointment, on the drive home, I got another flat tire. This one on my car. I have never changed a flat by myself before, so I got out the jack and the owner's manual and went about figuring it out. I had the car jacked up and was struggling to get the hubcap off when a nice little older guy named Leon pulled up and said, "What happened here?" He then proceeded to jump in and help me. We got it changed very quickly, at which point we realized the spare was flat too! Luckily I managed to get to a gas station less than a half mile away where I could pump up the spare. Which I proceeded to do...but it wouldn't take air. Argh! Foiled again! Long story short, between the suggestions of yet another helpful gentleman and Karin, I decided to jack the car up next to the air pump and then put air in while it had no pressure on it. It worked! And I was on my way again!
Later that night I hopped on the trainer to ride another hour to reach my goal distance for the day.
Surprisingly, it was a fantastic day!
 |
| Look how shredded my tire is! I had to keep driving for a mile on it to get off the freeway! Of course I had to take my bike out of the trunk to get to the spare! |
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